One Year Reflections

Today marks the one year anniversary of arriving to Lesotho. A lot has happened, but it has also gone by very fast. I survived 10 weeks of training, I started teaching my own classes for the first time, I started a library, I’ve explored 6 of the 10 districts in Lesotho, I survived a country evacuation, and I traveled to Durban, Krugar National Park, Johannesburg, and Cape Town in South Africa. I have been tested in ways that I’ve never imagined and now I am making my one year reflections.

School: I am a teacher. I teach three math classes that have ranged from 30 – 60+ students. I tell students to take notes and to be quiet. I send my students out the class for talking too much. I get frustrated when their scores are still failing, but thankfully, I am almost done with my first school year, and I still feel motivated.

Language: I greet people in Sesotho, but I usually speak English. This does not mean that I am speaking the same as I would in the US. I speak much slower. Basotho speak English as a foreign language and speaking at my usual speed will be understood by no one. Also, Basotho speak British English and not American English – this means math is mathS, parentheses are brackets, Z is zed and so on.

Living: I have no electricity. No running water. No indoor bathroom. No car. No television. No indoor heating. I never thought I would ever be living like this. But now I know that I can!

Finances: Our living allowance is about $200 US dollars. No where in my imagination had I ever thought that possible, but I actually go under budget every month. Fruits and vegetables are much cheaper here, restaurants and canned foods are more expensive. I cook from scratch and choose the healthier/cheaper option.

Traveling: This morning, it was raining. I walked a mile an a half to get to the road to catch a taxi into town. It is dreadful, but I just suck it up.

Throughout all of the changes, I feel like the same person. This week, I was able to talk to one of my oldest and dearest friends from back home, La Tache. We talked for 2 hours! Even though we haven’t seen each other for over a year, we could have a conversation like we haven’t been apart for a day. While I’m on the opposite side of the world, in a whole new environment, but I am comfortable with who I am and I feel supported by my family and friends. I have been happy to adapt to the different life changes that have occurred and I welcome the many more challenges for the year ahead.

Me and Zoe baked chocolate cookies for the new volunteer in our neighborhood

The moon earlier this week – so bright!